"Smooth, rich and creamy. Rye malt blends with roast and chocolate malts to create a new and delicious stout profile, balanced with soft and velvety hops. This northwest original is poured using the traditional nitrogen dispensing method, so it may take an extra minute to arrive, but the wait is worth it. The Black Bear won the Gold Medal at the 2003 GABF in the foreign-style stout category."

A: Pours a deep black with an insane amount of mocha head. It was a slow steady pour that resulted in 3/4 of my snifter filled with some serious froth. It's taking quite a bit of time for it to settle.

S: The beer smells sweet and malty (notes of caramel) and there is a chalkiness to this beer as well. It reminds me of a typical foreign export stout verging towards a hint of Baltic porter.

T: It starts off sweet with some big carbonation that turns the initial flavors a bit bitter. I get that chalk like flavor that I picked up in the nose as well. The beer finishes bitter. Nothing too exciting.

Slow-moving brown bubbles form a tight, well-retaining head. Stout black; nope, no light coming through here. Big chocolate nose with a spiciness layered within. Silky, creamy, smooth full-bodied brew. Cocoa powder, hint of charcoal, spicy rye and some coffee make their mark on the taste buds. Hops provide a great backup for balancing out the malt sweetness. Vague dark berries and a nutty yeast in the semisweet finish. Roasty bliss. Hefty, non- hyped Stouts are hard to come by these days, and this is one to seek out.

22 ounce bottle split with my dad last night, one of the few beers I brought back from Portland with me, poured into my Dogfish Head snifter,

color is almost black with minimal light going through, 3/4 inch creamy tan head that lasts around five minutes, some lacing at first too, aroma consists of milk chocolate, dark cocoa, vanilla, burned grains, oak, roasted malts, mild coffee, good amount of booze, and some toffee, starts off with a mixture sweet milk chocolate and burned dark chocolate just like the smell, roasted malts dominate the middle, finish has a lot of dark chocolate too with some coffee hanging around afterwards in the aftertaste, lots of alcohol in the flavor once it warms up a bit, decently balanced with different malt flavors but too boozy for me, hot, roasty, and dry mouthfeel, full bodied, mellow carbonation, taste lingered for a long time, could have drank much more than I did, definitely a sipper, too alcoholic with not enough aging, would be easier to drink if it was oak or whiskey aged in my opinion, can be rather harsh, might drink again, worth trying

after having this beer, I am bumbed that we did not get to make it out to the Alameda brewpub, this was pretty good and heard it is not even one of their better beers, would drink again, worth trying

Got this at Bert’s Bierhuis. Had been wanting to try this brew for quite a while so was very happy to see it on a local shelf. Quite enjoy export stouts and this is one of the higher rated American brewed examples of the style.

From a bomber into a snifter

APPEARANCE: Transparent, very dark brown pour, almost black, yields a two finger, medium looking, light tan head with excellent retention. Black body with lower levels of carbonation evident. Head fades to a full cap and sticks to the sides of the glass. A faint wisp remains leaving lots of nice lacing down the glass. Very good looking porter.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. A touch lighter on the palate than hoped, creamy enough, goes down fine and finishes slightly drier than expected.

OVERALL: An excellent, high quality export stout. I can certainly see why it boasts all the medals they’ve won on the label. Deserves every one of them. Very nicely done and impressive for a 7% beer. The feel could use a bit of beefing up perhaps, but the rest of the show is a treat. Glad this one showed up locally and if I see it again, I’ll be all over it. Highly recommended.

A: Bottle opens with a mild hiss, and pours a pitch black color with slight bourbon brown highlights when held to a lamp. Head is half an inch of tan foam and quickly recedes to a film on the glass. Not much lacing to speak of.

S: Mocha at first, which devolves into individual coffee and chocolate smells as the beer warms. Roasted dark malts and a little grainy aroma.

T: Roasted malt lays the groundwork for what initially seems like a sweet beer. There's a substantial taste lag before the coffee and dark chocolate flavors kick in to mellow out the sweetness and provide some bittering contrast. Towards the end of the taste, there is a sour grain sensation that comes as a surprise, but works very well.

M: Medium bodied, with light carbonation. Perhaps a bad bottle. Regardless, it could use a little more carbonation.

D: I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this despite a couple of complaints. This is an example of a solid stout, and at 6.8%, a very drinkable one.

Thanks to psiweaver for this one by way of IS BIF 2. Poured from a 22oz. bomber into a Blue Point Snifter.

A: Viscous pour yields a solid, 2 finger dense, milk chocolate head with stubborn retention. Beer is an opaque black. Lacing is outstanding. Great legs, frothy, and with excellent cling.

S: Aroma is heavy on the liquorice and roasted coffee beans. In fact, those are the only initial flavors I detect. A bit of subtle roasted malt lingers in the background but not much else. Aromatic but simple.

T: Opening is much like the nose. Liquorice, roasted malt, and coffee in the back. A slight hint of chocolate sweetness emerges in the background as this one warms up a bit. Bitter roasted malt is predominant throughout. Finishes with bitter chocolate. Aftertaste is oily, slick, and bitter.

M: Medium bodied with a solid amount of carbonation. Feel is oily and viscous and goes down real smooth. Drinks bigger than its ABV. Finish is accented and aftertaste lingers.

D: What this beer is, is a really good representation of its style. Flavor is very balanced and nothing really sticks out. Feel is appropriate and real heavy (in a good way) for its ABV. Drinkable too, as it goes down very smooth and silky.

Picked up a bomber back in the summer of 2008, and have been aging it in my cellar ever since. Tonight, my wife and I drank it for a special occasion, along with a dessert of chocolate cake. Poured into Brooklyn Brewery goblets. Dark brown color with a thin but thick beige head. Some lacing on the glass - not a lot. Smell had a nice roasted barley smell to it, with just a hint of pine tingling my nose. The taste was excellent. It really had an enjoyable flavor of burnt espresso, but with a hint of bittersweet chocolate. Mouthfeel was moderate but not overly thick; it was on the smooth side. An easy stout to drink, and very tasty at the same time. A nice accompaniment to a rich dessert.

22oz bottle purchased about 4 months ago at Huckleberry’s in Spokane for $4.49, and forgotten about until now. According to the just-noted freshness date, this was bottled December 6, 2011.

Poured a shade of brown so dark as to virtually be black. Holding the glass up to light only makes the absolute edge look a lighter brown. Decent sized tan head dropped after a few minutes.

The nose on this beer isn’t terribly strong. I get coffee and brown sugar, and that’s about it.

The taste is similar to the smell. Bitter, coffeeish notes balance the sweet, brown sugary elements in a competent, unspectacular manner. A subdued hop zap announces the swallow to the tastebuds.

Medium bodied, with a slightly coating mouthfeel.

A decent, unspectacular beer that I will try at least once more when I have a shot at a fresh bottle and if required, will amend my review accordingly. As it stands, it’s a good stout, not a great one that requires any kind of fevered search.

I got this bottle as an extra from msbulldog25, thanks for knocking one off my "wants" Brian! Black Bear XX turns my pint glass the blackest of blacks, completely opaque without letting a hint of light glint through the body. A standard pour brought the khaki head up surprisingly quickly to three fingers. The head slowly fell to a thick craggy finger and left behind chunky spider webbed lacing. The creamy head shows good staying power and lasts throughout. This is a damn fine looking stout.

Dark, modestly, roasted malts hit the nose right from the start and are the biggest factor throughout the aroma. Mild coffee grounds and a hefty whiff of creamy dark chocolate quickly join that dark roastiness and although they try to take over the roastiness manages to hold them off. There's mildly sweet nougat popping up here and there that adds some complexity to the overall smell of this beer. Last out of the gate are clean alcohol and a decent hop presence.

The flavor goes hand in hand with the aroma. Dark roasted maltiness lays it down strong with a little acidic bite. The coffee grounds are more pronounced in the flavor then in the nose and the dark chocolate falls back mid palate. The nougat comes across as nuttiness occasionally and seems to change it up with each drink. The swallow brings out clean, mild warming alcohol and a combination of roasty and hop bitterness on the lips. This is a good foreign style stout, and unique to boot.

I wasn't sure what to think about the mouthfeel of this beer at first. It seemed lighter then it should be but as this beer gets warmer and warmer (nearing probably 55) the body fills out and has a medium fullness to it. The carbonation is higher then expected and keeps this beer moving fairly quickly.

This is a stout with good flavor and good drinkability. The bomber ended up disappearing pretty quickly and the carbonation is part of the reason. I want another drink after the last and find it tough to slow down.

Alameda makes a good foreign-style stout that I wouldn't hesitate to drink again. Black Bear XX is a robust stout with moderate enough alcohol to drink a few at a time. It's too bad this isn't available in my area. Thanks for the great extra Brian!